The Holy City was located in the state of Avalon. Serving as the capital of the world government, the city lived up to its reputation in terms of grandeur.
At the center of the city, there was a palace that looked more like a citadel. It was heavily fortified by human guards and droids that were on constant vigilance. It belonged to the strongest man in the free world.
The President!
The masses took pride in having a say in the election of the president! After all, it was they who elected senators who in turn selected the president.
The incumbent president was Mason Maxwell. He was a middle-aged man with brown hair and a small beard.
Currently, Mason was sitting alone in a spacious room. The room consisted of a round table surrounded by sixteen chairs.
Mason's attention was on a virtual screen in front of him. During his youth, he was reckless and unafraid of the world because he was born into a powerful family and blessed with a powerful mutant ability.
As he grew older and more powerful, he realized that he was nothing but a speck of insignificant dust. The freedom and power he was proud of were all an illusion created by the world government. So bit by bit he climbed to the top leadership of the government but then reality struck him again.
The president shared his powers with the world council! The general populace believed the world council, consisting of representatives from nine aristocratic families and the royal family of Atlantis, only played an advisory role. But being a part of the system, Mason knew the world council has their claws in every decision-making. There were more members of the council than what the people believed and their role was different from what the people perceived.
Everything was about perception.
Learning from the struggles of royal dynasties of the previous era, the world government's founders knew they had to create a near-perfect system if they wanted to rule without worrying about getting dethroned.
So they created a 'democratic' government where people decided their president every five years indirectly. It made people feel they had a say in choosing their ruler unlike the royal empires of before.
Relying on the subtle brainwashing in the form of patriotism, sacrifice, and racial supremacy, the forefathers established a council consisting of those who have 'sacrificed' so much for the world. They let the world believe the council served no role other than being an advisory board.
Mason rather admired the schemes of the forefathers. What he truly admired was how the council made the political officers a scapegoat for failed policies. If people were dissatisfied with the governing then they could simply change the senators and president; without realizing that this was a part of the scheme to make the world government last forever.
"In the end, the schemes of forefathers were just petty schemes no matter how wonderful. If one has absolute strength then they don't need to fear anything including the world government or nation of terror. Originally there were only 9 members in the council but now 15. It just shows how strength can change what others perceive as impossible."
"But in the end, strength alone also proves useless. As one grows older, strength dwindles. A man works for decades to achieve his position and power but death takes it all away. Death is the greatest enemy."
"But the current era has given us an opportunity...a hope for eternal life."
Mason's eyes burned with desire as his thought process reached here. He looked at the report on the screen and muttered, "Delta City...the hope of eternal life lies there. "
*beep* *beep*
[[The council will be online in a few seconds. ]]] A mechanical voice brought Mason back from his thoughts.
Suddenly, ten of the fifteen chairs were engulfed in green light. A moment later, ten virtual projections entered the room.
"My greetings to the council," Mason rose to his feet and gave the council members a bow. He was surprised to see some council members not showing up, but he didn't mention it.
"Mason, you can sit," an elderly man with a large white beard said.
"Thank you, Lord Elliot," Mason sat down.
Lord Elliot gave a glance to his fellow council members before saying, "Mason, I am sure you know why we summoned you."
"For details regarding the recent golden lightning phenomenon in Delta city," Mason knew it very well.
"Good. You can start with the report on your findings," Lord Elliot signaled him to start.
Mason tapped on the table and the holographic projection activated, displaying the wasteland outside Delta City.
Before, the wasteland was full of barren mountains and plateaus. Now it was just a giant crater.
"The golden lightning phenomenon occurred during midnight for some ten minutes," Mason clicked another panel and the projection showed the visuals of the phenomenon as seen from Delta city.
"As the satellites were not able to collect any information, the chief officer of Delta city -Sylvan- sent a team of forty mutants in the vicinity to collect data. Most of the team died within minutes, thanks to the pressure from the golden lightning."
The screen showed the stats of forty members who entered the wasteland along with their vehicles.
"Most of them died? You mean there were survivors?" an elderly man with an emaciated appearance asked.
Mason got chills when he heard the voice of the mummy-like man. He didn't let his emotions show and respectfully answered, "Lord Harley, some of them escaped quickly, but they died as well since the pressure had ravaged their bodies. Their abilities were erased, and no medical treatment worked."
The council members were shocked by Mason's words.
"Abilities erased? How was that possible?" Lord Elliot asked.
"Yes," Mason nodded. He didn't mention that some survivors were killed by Sylvan in anger, but that wasn't important since they would have died anyway.
"Abilities erased? Very interesting. I would love to perform an autopsy on their bodies," Lord Harley could barely control his emotions.
Mason controlled his disgust and said, "Lord Harley, apologies, but the survivors turned into nothingness after their death. The same happened with those who died inside the wasteland."
The holographic projection showed the recordings of a survivor turning into nothingness.
The council members were shocked by the information. It took them minutes before they completed contemplating the discoveries.
"Mason, I have a question if you don't mind," a Buddhist monk asked.
"Lord Kakusandha, it will be my honor to answer you," Mason said in a voice full of reverence. He knew just how powerful this Buddhist monk was.
"What is the probability of this incident being related to the event from four years ago?" Lord Kakusandha politely asked.
The other council members looked at Mason for his answer. They had their own guesses, but they wanted to know Mason's opinion.
Four years ago, Castor Damon, a Rank IX scientist, went to Delta city for a secret project. A week after his arrival, he suddenly disappeared, and all his life signals were lost. It took place moments after a similar golden lightning phenomenon started in the mining area.
The mining area was one of the meteorites that had fallen on Earth's surface when the age of evolution began. Most meteorites were still in their original positions either due to their weight or dangers involved.
The government and other factions have extracted the minerals and other important elements from most meteorites. But there still remain meteorites which are yet to be explored, for not even the best scientists can find a way to get close to them much less extract.
Originally, the resources from the meteorite in Delta City were already extracted years ago. The minefield was just a remnant of the past and nothing more.
Yet Castor Damon gathered a team to explore this meteorite. It was obvious whatever Castor Damon was seeking was responsible for his sudden disappearance and the golden lightning phenomenon.
Perhaps Castor Damon was in hiding, or he was really dead like the loss of his life signals denoted.
Mason knew the council members were testing him instead of really wanting to know the answer.
"I believe both the events are connected," Mason replied, "Back then the lightning phenomenon took place for approximately five minutes, and the latest one took place for a little over ten minutes. Back then, there were no survivors, and the same was true for now. The location has changed from the mining area to wasteland, but it is still within the vicinity of the same city."
"There is one thing different, though," Lord Elliot injected in between, "The radius of the phenomenon back then was far too low, but this time...the area has tripled."
The council members nodded in agreement. Whatever or whoever was responsible for this incident has gotten stronger.
"Castor Damon was a disgrace to our noble cause," Lord Kakusandha said with a deep sigh, "He kept his project secret from everyone, including the council, who trusted him so deeply."
"Indeed," a disfigured woman agreed, "It took us three years to know what he was seeking. He thought he could hide it from us forever."
"He even took help from revolutionaries while he used our resources for his own benefit," another council member added.
Mason didn't say anything but secretly scoffed at the hypocrisy of council members. Would they have shared the treasure if they got the treasure Castor Damon sought for? Mason knew the answer for he was aware of how great the treasure was.
Before his disappearance, Castor Damon had studied records of the strange writings and engravings as well as the alien technology from the meteorites to seek something special.
After three years of investigation and research, the government was able to pick up clues on what he was truly seeking.
A shard of the Cosmic Spark!
The government also has a shard of the Cosmic Spark that was being researched to find a practical way to extract its unimaginable powers.
After decades of study, the scientists came to the conclusion that the cosmic spark was the power source of the supreme world from where the meteorites originated.
The power source of a supreme world!
Just the meteorites have created so many wonders on Earth, so what about the cosmic spark?
Just the thought of this excited the council to the bones! Perhaps the dream of eternal life would no longer be a mere dream!
Even if eternal life was not possible, then there was Cosmic Manipulation! The ability by which one can manage the cosmic power to do anything as one pleases!
Alas, the world government only has a single hair-like shard so the research didn't gain much practical usage.
But if they had another shard?
"The shard we have has never created a phenomenon like the ones in Delta City. So it is most likely Castor Damon has either found a way to use the shard properly or the shard he found was more powerful," Lord Elliot said.
"We can't be sure Castor Damon is alive," Lord Harley interjected, "He got help from those revolutionaries so maybe he was killed by them."
"We can't be sure of anything," the deformed lady from before said in a cold voice, "We don't even know if the shard is with someone or if it's creating this phenomenon on its own."
"Agreed," Lord Kakusandha joined in and said something which shocked everyone, "We can't even be sure if it was just a shard."
The council members sucked in a breath of cold air!
Right! What if it wasn't a shard but the entire Cosmic Spark!
...
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," a feminine ice-cold voice shattered the dreams of council members.
The speaker was a woman that appeared to be in her twenties. Her skin was as white as the snow while her hair was as dark as the deep night.
"Ice Queen is right," Lord Kakusandha bowed down towards the woman and said, "This monk's heart was blinded by greed."
Ice Queen ignored his words of thanks, but Lord Kakusandha didn't take any offense. He knew her disposition was of a queen, and it wasn't just because of her title.
Her title of Ice Queen was due to her ability, but she was a real queen as well!
Queen of Eden!
Eden!
The commoners of this world usually call it by its other name — Beauty Island! An island only for women!
"We sure don't know much for ruling more than half the world," said a man with a dragon tattoo on his right cheek, "We might as well name the council as a council of ignorants."
The council members fell silent as the insult struck them deeply. They were the rulers of this world, yet they were as ignorant as the masses.
"Lord Lewis, I should be blamed for the lack of information regarding Delta City," Mason apologized for the failure.
"Mason, I understand you might be tired since it is your second term in office," Lord Lewis waved off his hand and said, "It is hard not to get tired after gaining the attention of young women. So perhaps you need rest."
Mason felt a chill down his spine. He was a married man with children, but if news of his infidelity leaked, then his political power...
Damn!
Would the general populace agree to have a leader who didn't respect the sanctity of marriage? Would the public trust a man who couldn't be faithful to his own wife?
If he lost his position, then what about his pursuit of strength and eternal life? The council didn't need to care about the perception of the general populace unlike him!
Fuck!
Mason knew the councilman was warning him by mentioning his affairs so that he would do his best.
"Please give me a chance to prove myself," Mason begged.
The council members nodded, much to Mason's relief.
Lord Elliot turned towards a muscular man with black hair and green pupils.
"Great Poseidon of Atlantis, is there something you would like to add?" Lord Elliot respectfully asked. It was the first time he was so respectful throughout the meeting.
In the end, the powerful were revered, and this applied in every society. As the king of Atlantis, Poseidon carried a great deal of power himself beside the power of the sea race.
So how could Lord Elliot not be polite towards him?
"I don't have any problems with your arrangements as long as you remember our original treaty," Poseidon nonchalantly replied.
"You can rest assured on that," Lord Elliot and others nodded their heads.
One by one, the projection of the council members disappeared from the room.
---------------------------
Atlantis.
The lost city was covered by an invisible force field, only allowing the free flow of water and nothing else. Various types of marine lifelines were visible throughout.
The sea serpent, Leviathan, sea monk, and other mutated sea animals were constantly guarding the borders of the sacred city.
Temples, palaces, castles, and other types of infrastructures were visible throughout the submerged land, inhabited by sea nymphs, mermaids, sirens, selkies, and others.
Poseidon sat on his throne with his eyes closed and his right hand on a white orb. Below the dais, his wife, Anthea, stood. She was a graceful woman, bearing a beauty so astonishing that she could topple empires with her gaze.
Suddenly, Poseidon opened his eyes.
"How was the meeting?" Anthea's voice was sweet like an angel as she asked.
"Just a waste of time," Poseidon walked down the dais.
"Is that so?" Anthea asked again. She felt something amiss from her husband's face even though he did his best to conceal it.
"You know me far too well," Poseidon kissed her on her forehead and said, "I have to pay a visit to the temple."
Anthea was shocked by his words.
"Surely Atlantis is not in danger?" Anthea hurriedly asked.
"Nothing like that. There is some guidance I need before I make a decision," Poseidon explained to her.
"Guidance?" Anthea wanted to ask more, but then she heard the throne room opening. She turned around and saw a young woman in her late teens dashing towards them.
"Father! Mother!" the young woman shouted as she dashed into the arms of her parents. Her skin glistened with the luster of beautiful jade just like her mother.
"Melina, you are rather early today," Anthea lovingly adjusted the tiara over her daughter's head. Poseidon looked at the actions of his daughter and wife with a smile.
"Melina, I have an urgent task so can you look after your mother for me?" Poseidon asked his daughter.
"Of course! I will protect mother!" Melina readily agreed. Anthea smiled at her daughter's words, but deep down, she was worried about her husband.
---------------------
Poseidon entered a large temple made of exquisite crystals. The crystals on the walls scanned through his body multiple times before allowing him to enter the core section of the temple.
Unlike the other places in Atlantis, the core region of the temple didn't have a single drop of water. The core region was made of red crystals throughout, but at the center, there was a throne made of blue crystals. Poseidon's gaze fell on the throne upon which a woman was sitting with her eyes tightly shut.
Her skin was snow-white, but her face was blue. If one looked carefully, it was possible to see the blue crystals of the throne fused with her body.
"Holy Seer, I beg of your guidance," Poseidon bowed down deeply in respect.
Slowly, the woman opened her eyes...
The year was 1900. Atlantis...
The hidden city was in decline, with the sea race constantly dying off. The people of Atlantis had never seen the sun nor knew why their city was located in the depths of the ocean.
When the lost city was at its weakest, without any signs of hope, meteorites arrived on Earth. A small meteorite sank into the ocean where Atlantis was located. Ignoring the existence of the barrier, the small meteorite entered the city.
The meteorite opened up to reveal a large 'egg' made of blood-red crystals. The people of the city provided the warmth required for 'hatching'. After five long years, the egg 'hatched', and a fairy-like baby was born.
Her skin was snow-white, and her hair was silver-white. Faint traces of blue wings were visible from her back. Even with all her differences, the people of the sea accepted her as their own.
A few years later, she was old enough to speak. Her first words were: "Where am I? This is not my home! No! This is not even my world!"
She was born with innate memories of her world, but there were things she didn't know. This included why she was on a different planet or what happened to her home. Soon she learned her answers after leaving the city and finding different meteorites around the world.
Her world was no more...
She was all alone, but then she remembered the people of the sea. She returned to the city and guided the people of Atlantis by using meteorites and the Divine Particles, based on her innate memories.
Atlantis flourished, and soon she was revered as a goddess. She told them to call her by her innate name - Rhea - but the people of the city called her goddess, a title she loathed, for what type of goddess would be an orphan?
Years later, the people of Atlantis gave her the title of Holy Seer after she awakened her innate ability. It was a title she accepted, for her path was that of a seer and a holy guide to Atlantis.
**Present**
Rhea opened her eyes slowly. She sat stark naked on the throne made of blue crystals. Her skin was snow-white, but there were parts that were blue after fusing with the crystals.
Poseidon bowed towards her with deep respect and reverence. He had gained strength that could destroy cities, but in front of the Holy Seer, he had no arrogance. He was like a devotee in front of a god.
"Poseidon, you have grown up," Rhea said with a bit of melancholy. She hadn't aged for years, but those she knew had long died of old age.
Poseidon didn't reply, for he didn't know how to reply.
"How many years have I slept this time?" Rhea asked.
"37 years," Poseidon politely answered.
"Is that so?" Rhea looked around the room made of blood-red crystals and finally brought her attention to Poseidon, "What guidance do you need?"
"I have learned that at least a shard of the Cosmic Spark is out there in a human city. The humans with whom we have a treaty are going to seek it!" Poseidon answered her with full details, including the geographical location of Delta City.
Four years ago, he wasn't sure, but now he was, due to the repetition of the incident.
Poseidon didn't trust the council members to share the shard with him or with anyone. The council acted as if, after finding the shard, it would be common property, but he knew it was just a farce. Each council member would secretly try to get their hands on the shard and never share it with anyone else.
In any organization, there was always conflict due to the limited amount of resources and authority. The council was the same, with each member wanting more power than the other.
Poseidon even believed there might be some shards of the Cosmic Spark with the other members of the council or the other mystic heritages. It was just that anyone having possession of such a treasure would never let others know.
As for stealing the shard that was under the possession of the World Government, Poseidon knew it was impossible for now. There were far too many eyes on that shard, and he didn't want others to benefit from his work.
"Cosmic Spark?" Rhea shook her head and said, "My innate memories are not clear about this so-called power source of my homeworld. I know one thing for sure: there is more to this Cosmic Spark than you or the humans believe."
Poseidon thought it was a treasure worth having, given its power, regardless of its origin. He had seen the shard under the government's possession and had felt its unimaginable power. If he could get such a shard, then the power of Atlantis would soar.
"I will look into the future and guide you," Rhea could pretty much guess Poseidon's thoughts.
"Thank you," Poseidon once again bowed. He was aware that looking into the future was no easy task and that she would be paying a heavy price. His respect for her wasn't just due to her origin or power but because of the sacrifices.
Rhea closed her eyes, and the blue crystals inside the throne started melting. Soon, the molten crystals covered her fully and released a blinding glow.
-------------
-------------
Rhea found herself as a phantom in a high-class restaurant. The restaurant was full of people, but she noticed one person different from the rest. He was a human, just like the others, but with a halo!
"Him having the halo means the future I'm seeking revolves around him," Rhea muttered to herself. The man had black hair and blue pupils, appearing to be in his early twenties.
Currently, he was sitting opposite a brunette girl with glasses. The girl seemed on the verge of tears, but she put on a brave front.
"Can I know the reason?" the girl asked.
"I don't want you to drown in a sea of sorrow because of me," the man answered her.
"That's not true! You are the kindest person I have known! So you are wrong!" the girl refused to believe the man in front of her was capable of doing wrong.
"What you've seen so far is what I wanted you to see," the man explained with a sigh, "My true self will disgust you."
Rhea wanted to hear the girl's reply, but time and space distorted, and she found herself in a whirlpool of colors. She fell into the upper region of the whirlpool, and the radiating lights made her close her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a luxurious bedroom.
A brown-haired woman, in her late twenties, covered her body with a white blanket. She filled two glasses with whiskey and gave one to the man on the bed. The man had golden hair reaching his shoulders, and his eyes were a strange combination of blue and gold.
Rhea was shocked to discover that the halo was on this golden-haired man. This man's appearance and life energy were totally different from the man before!
"There is something familiar about this man! That feeling was there in that man as well, but it was very faint! But in this man, the feeling is very strong!"
Rhea let go of her thoughts and focused on the scene before her.
The man sipped the whiskey and quickly placed the glass on a table next to the bed. In a complaining tone, he said, "No drink in this world can intoxicate me as you can."
The woman was rather amused by his words. She took a sip of whiskey and kissed the man. The man greedily sucked on her lips and tongue, as if they were truly the best intoxicant in this world.
Rhea watched as the man and woman made love like passionate lovers. After thirty minutes, the woman pushed the man back and took another sip of whiskey.
"Too much of an intoxicant can kill you!" the woman lied down on his chest and said with a smile. The man looked into her eyes as if he were contemplating something.
"What are you thinking?" the woman asked.
"About our future," the man's voice was serious.
"Hmm?" the woman was rather surprised by the words.
"I meant those words I told you back then," the man twisted his body around and made the woman lie on the bed.
"Hey! Don't speak those cheesy lines again!" the woman knew better than to trust the words of this man.
Rhea wanted to hear the entire conversation, but once again, time and space distorted.
"I finally realized what was similar in both men! Cosmic Spark! Yes, that can only explain why I saw them with the halo and not to mention both scenes should happen in the same city! They are not two people but a single person with two forms!" Rhea quickly thought as she was sucked in by the whirlpool.
"My ability is trying to show me every important character relevant to this man, but if this happens, the backlash will be stronger! I have to make sure I only spend energy on the important scenes!"
From the back of Rhea's body, two blue wings emerged. She controlled her falling and entered the deepest part of the whirlpool instead of going into the middle parts.
----
This time, Rhea was on an office floor full of corpses and weapons. Rhea looked around and found the golden-haired man near a broken wall. Some distance away, the brown-haired woman was standing with a complicated expression.
"Who is she?" Rhea saw a raven-haired woman in front of the golden-haired man.
The raven-haired woman's hands were filled with blood, and her eyes were soaked with tears. Rhea noticed there were stains of blood on the man's face as well; the blood on the man's face and the blood in the woman's hands were of the same person!
"You swore you would protect her!" the woman pulled the man's shirt and said with a voice filled with grief.
The man's face was full of guilt and sadness, but he didn't know how to respond to his emotions.
"You promised me twice! Or have you forgotten?!? Answer me!" The shrieks of the woman were heart-wrenching. The man remained silent, for he didn't know how to console a woman who had lost everything.
Exhausted, the woman fell on the floor like a corpse. She was alive but without any will to live.
The brown-haired woman took the raven-haired woman in her arms. She turned towards the golden-haired man and said, "Let us get out of here."
"You two leave," the man looked at the sky from the broken wall and continued, "I have to kill that bastard."
"But---"
Before the brown-haired woman could protest, white rays of light surrounded her and the unconscious raven-haired woman.
BOOOM
It was daytime, but suddenly the entire sky was filled with dark black clouds. They were full of golden lightning, trying to free themselves from the clouds, but it seemed as if the entire power of this world was stopping them.
Rhea saw the man's aura growing stronger with every second. Quickly, he dashed off into the sky and met head-on with a mysterious giant being.
Rhea felt the presence of the mysterious entity was familiar as well!
The man and the mysterious entity fought for dozens of rounds...
The time and space once again distorted, and Rhea arrived at the last part of the colorful whirlpool.
"This should be the most important part of the upcoming future I seek! I am sure everything I saw in the last few parts has happened in the span of a year! A year for doomsday!"
When Rhea opened her eyes, she found herself in the middle of the city. The city was no longer a city but a graveyard. There were corpses of ordinary humans, mutants, beasts, and so on.
The sky was clear, but it seemed as if the entire world was colored gray! Far away in the sky, the mysterious giant being was fleeing for its life!
"This is the continuation of the battle, but I have missed something!" Rhea noticed the greyness in the area was like a poison of death. It has covered everything.
"What is this greyness? Before, the sky was filled with golden lightning, but now the entire world is painted gray!"
Far away, she noticed a man slowly walking, sporting a sinister smile.
With each step, it was as if the world was falling into chaos. The buildings around turned into nothingness, including the humans in it! He was the epitome of death!
The man was naked to the core, but the gray particles in the air crystallized and struck his body to transform into a robe.
"H-how can this be?!"
When she looked at the man, she felt a type of fear she had never felt in her life.
Suddenly, the man turned towards her as if he could perceive her existence. With a malevolent voice, he asked, "Bitch, do you want to die?"
Impossible!
How could he notice my existence when I am just a phantom of the past?
Before she could think further, she was engulfed by a gray vortex.
"Aahhhhh!"
Rhea opened her eyes and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The crystal throne started cracking, and it was as if Atlantis was under an earthquake.
"What?" Poseidon quickly rushed to support Rhea, but she told him to back off.
"I have been infected!" Rhea waved her hand and absorbed energy from the blood-red crystals on the floor. Her skin started turning gray, but the energy from the crystals stopped the infection from spreading.
Poseidon couldn't understand what type of infection could affect her.
"Don't you dare set your eyes on Delta City! That city is soon going to become a graveyard!" Rhea warned him.
"Holy seer, what do you mean?" Poseidon asked, with fear evident in his voice.
If something can injure her, then what type of existence could it be?!
"There is something in the city that can exterminate us all!"
I can assure you, the novel is NOT a tragedy!
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